Building a Culture of Empathy
with the SF Tea Party (Tax Day, April 15th, 2010 in
Union Square, San Francisco, California)
http://bit.ly/iqpS1R

Needless to say, there's a great divide between the different political
groups and parties. What can I do to overcome that divide and
build a culture of empathy? Gloria Steinem says, "Empathy
is the most revolutionary emotion" and "the means are the
end." I take that to mean that the way to build a culture of empathy is
to use the means of empathy. Analyzing each other doesn't seem to work,
judging each other doesn't seem to work, trying to fix each other
doesn't seem to work, general one upmanship isn't working. While I get a
kick out of, and enjoy those approaches as much as the next person,
perhaps it's time to try empathy?

Being more on the progressive side of the
political spectrum, I wanted to reach out to conservatives, libertarians
and Republicans. On April 15, Judith and I went to the SF Tea Party that
was held in Union Square, in downtown San Francisco. We went to listen,
hear and empathize with what the Tea Party members had to say and find
out about the role of empathy in their lives. We asked about how empathy
fits with their values and for personal stories of having experienced
it. After talking to us for quite some time, one of the leaders of the
event said with gratitude to Judith, "thanks for listening." Here's the full version of the
event video. (I still want
to make a shorter version as well). Our next step will be to bring the
different parties together to explore the experience of empathy
together.